Cross-Country Running
Endurance running over open, uneven country — mud, grass, hills and unpredictable weather.
👥6 per team🌤outdoor
What is Cross-Country Running?
Cross-country running is contested on natural terrain across mud, grass and hills, typically over 8–12 km for senior men and 6–10 km for women. Runners are timed individually but team scores are the sum of the placings of each team's top-scoring runners — the lower the total, the better. The World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the sport's summit.
Quick facts
Category
Athletics
Type
Team sport
Players
6 per team
Where played
outdoor
Country of origin
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Estimated origin
1830s English public-school "paperchase" runs
Olympic
No
Popularity
global
Sources & provenance
Last verified 2026-08-20.verified